GLENDALE — The Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, New York, have a long history of serving Sacred Heart Church, especially as teachers in the parish school. On Jan. 23, the last of six murals that have been painted on the ceiling of the church was dedicated in their honor.
In attendance at the 11:30 Mass were Dominican nuns from New York and Long Island, who came to celebrate with the half-dozen sisters who live in a convent at Sacred Heart.
The panel honoring the sisters features images of St. Dominic Guzman of Spain, who founded the Dominican order in 1216 at Toulouse, France, and St. Catherine of Sienna, a co-patroness of the order.
The six murals — envisioned by Sacred Heart pastor Father Fred Marano, created by Chuck Glicksman and Ginger Andro of True Faux Studio in Westwood, New Jersey — are gaining a lot of attention.
Father Marano shared how Father John Fullum, pastor emeritus at Sacred Heart, Glendale, recently overheard two women comment, “Oh, my goodness, it looks like the Sistine Chapel over here.”
“So, this is the Sistine Chapel of Queens,” Father Fullum said. “Actually, of Glendale,” Father Marano quipped.
Father Marano recalled how, when he became pastor at the church around five years ago, the idea for the six murals came about.
“I was supposed to be praying, but I was looking up and I noticed the six empty boxes on the ceiling,” he said. “There were beautiful fleur-de-lis in the corners, but nothing in the boxes.”
Later, the pastor came across an old photo of someone painting over the pictures in one of the boxes and thought: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have the pictures restored?”
Several themes were developed, including representations of the four Gospel authors — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — and one of a pelican which, according to European legend, is a symbol of Jesus and his blood sacrifice. When a mother pelican was unable to find food for her babies, she would prick herself with her own beak and feed the babies with her own blood. “If you notice, [the pelican’s] eyes are very sad because she will die soon after that. So that’s why it’s a beautiful image of Our Lord,” Father Marano said.
Glicksman said the murals were a collaborative process with Father Marano. “The process has been evolving,” the artist said. “But there is no question that everything that we’re doing here — it’s all coming from him. And Rosemary [Lazenby] has been so instrumental.”
Lazenby, a longtime parishioner who sponsored the Amityville Sisters mural, said she left it up to Father Marano and the sisters to work with the artists to decide the mural’s content and presentation.
The mural that was dedicated on Jan. 23 also includes the seal of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, positioned between the images of St. Dominic and St. Catherine.
Part of the sisters’ legacy at Sacred Heart Academy was shared by a former student — Deacon Peter Stamm — whose grandparents were among the parish’s founders. He described how the sisters taught academics and morals at the academy.
“I realized later on, that the sisters who were teaching us were not much older than us,” he said. “I remember at the end of the [school] day, we would walk up 84th Street, the sisters were walking up with us and getting on a bus to go to school to get their college degrees. So, while they were learning how to teach, they were teaching us.”
Lazenby said her mother had a childhood friend who became a Dominican sister. She recalled how, as a little girl, her mother brought her along to visit the nun at what is today the Basilica of Regina Pacis in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.
“I have been taken aback about how Christ-like [the sisters] are,” Lazenby said. “They’re so Christian in their way of handling things, and speaking to people. I just think they should be honored — that’s all.”
Sister Patricia McCann, who resides at Sacred Heart Parish’s convent, was amazed how Lazenby, Father Marano, and the artists collaborated to honor her community’s service to the parish.
“I find it touching that [Lazenby] would think so highly of the sisters in our community that she has come in contact with, that she would want to honor us,” Sister McCann said.
Sister Judy Olsen, also a resident at Sacred Heart, expressed the hope that future generations will see the mural and subsequently learn of the sisters’ work in the parish.
“I mean, this will be there after we’re gone,” Sister Olsen said.
“Yes,” added Sister McCann. “It’s permanent.”
